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A scheme to recruit refugees to harvest one of Italy’s most celebrated wines, grown on the slopes of the World Heritage-listed Cinque Terre coastline, has been met with sour grapes by Right-wing politicians.

Under the plan, refugees living in a shelter run by a Catholic charity in the city of La Spezia, not far from the Cinque Terre, will be put to work harvesting grapes from vineyards that rise above the five former fishing villages strung out along the coast of Liguria.

Starting next month, they will help produce the famed Sciacchetra wine, a sweet white passito that is unique to the region.

It is hard work – the grapes are harvested by hand and then have to be carried in crates to specially-adapted motorised monorails which whisk them down the mountainside.

From next month, the refugees will help produce the famed Sciacchetra wineCredit:
Alamy

In the past, the grapes were put in large baskets and lowered into waiting boats, to be transported to the nearest village.

Politicians from the anti-immigrant Northern League have denounced the scheme, saying that the jobs should go to Italians.

“Why are we discriminating against our own young people and giving privileges to these foreigners?” said Stefania Pucciarelli, a local Northern League politician.

“We should be involving both migrants and Italians, many of whom have economic problems.”

But the consortium of Sciacchetra producers, which set up the initiative, defended the project, saying that it had tried in the past to recruit Italians for similar work but without much success.

When the wine makers put out an appeal for recruits to help restore the dry stone walls upon which the vineyards are built, there were few takers.

There were six places available to Italians but only three people came forward to take them up.

“This is tough terrain and not everyone is prepared to sacrifice themselves,” Heydi Bonanini, the president of the consortium, told Ansa news agency.

“It would have been a lot simpler to have had Italian recruits in terms of communications, but this is the reality here in the Cinque Terre.”

The scheme was presented this week at a festival to celebrate sciacchetra, held in Corniglia, one of the five Cinque Terre villages.

“Some migrants are already taking part in viticulture courses,” said Ms Bonanini. “We think this project can help restore abandoned terraces and increase production of grapes.”

Once picked and delivered to the winery, the grapes are left to dry on racks until the concentration of sugars reaches an alcohol level of 17 per cent or more.

The process produces a sweet, amber-coloured wine which is normally served with desserts or with dry biscotti.